2006 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com
2006 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com 2006 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com
to test-drive a racecar. It was stolen once in California and found stripped on milk crates. The Dodge engineering team hauled it back to Michigan, where it was reborn as a test car. It’s now on display at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum at Talladega Superspeedway. The breakthrough success of the winged cars couldn’t have happened without similar Dodge spark and teamwork — or without embracing a calculated risk in pursuit of innovation. The result was a landmark win for driver Richard Brickhouse. His No. 99 Nichels Engineering Dodge Charger Daytona took the inaugural event at Alabama International Motor Speedway on Sept. 14, 1969. As with Charger teams today, teamwork and unity from top to bottom bred success. Ray Fox Sr., for example, was a Dodge mechanic who contributed to 140 Grand National victories in the 1960s and ’70s. He once built an engine overnight for a race on the old Daytona Beach course. “Some of the guys didn’t want to get paid for what they did,” he recalls. “They helped because they wanted to have something to do with racing.” THE GLORY DAYS Ask Petty about the initial glory period of the Dodge Charger, and he’s not bashful about ranking the Charger as his No. 1 racecar. He’s described it as a universal car, one that could drive well anywhere — road course, short track or CHARGER MILESTONES Championships in Dodge Chargers: David Pearson (1966–67); Buddy Baker (1967–68, 1970–73); Ray Elder (1971–72); Sam McQuagg (1966); Bobby Isaac (1968–1972); Richard Petty (1973–77); LeeRoy Yarbrough (1966–67); Charlie Glotzbach (1968, 1970); Dave Marcis (1975–76); Bobby Allison (1967, 1969–71); Richard Brickhouse (1969); Neil Bonnett (1977) Earl Balmer drives the No. 3 car to the first-ever NASCAR win in a Dodge Charger on Feb. 25, 1966, at Daytona. Richard Brickhouse’s No. 99 Nichels Engineering Dodge Charger Daytona is the first “winged” stock car to win a NASCAR race on Sept. 14, 1969, the inaugural event at Alabama International Motor Speedway. The Dodge Charger Daytona wins its first NASCAR Grand National race at Talladega in September 1969. It also wins at Texas International Speedway that year. The next year, it wins at Atlanta, Michigan and Darlington. Ironically, it never wins at its namesake track, Daytona. Buddy Baker is the first driver to officially crack 200 mph in a closedcourse lap, hitting 200.447 mph at Talladega on March 24, 1970, in the No. 88 Dodge Charger. Driver Ray Elder wins the first-ever Winston Cup Series event with a Dodge Charger, at the Riverside International Raceway road course in California on Jan. 10, 1971. (Back then, Riverside held the first event, not Daytona.) Elder — who was a full-time farmer and only raced part-time — is one of three Dodge drivers to win on-road courses, the others being Petty and Bobby Allison. Neil Bonnett, driving the No. 5 Dodge, earns the last win of the first Charger era on Nov. 20, 1977, passing Petty with five laps to go. superspeedway. But Petty also reveals that it was more than simply about a car. He fondly recalls the sense of community the Dodge Charger inspired — not simply among drivers and crews, but also fans. There was a high level of passion for the Chargers and the teams that got the best out of them. And drivers back then had more time to get to know fans and other teams. “When we first started, most NASCAR people stayed in one or two motels,” Petty explains. “Now there are so many people that they don’t really congregate outside the racetrack. On the other hand, the sport has gained a lot. A big crowd back then was 5,000 or 6,000. Now, you have 100,000 fans.” Even back then, Charger victories translated to fame and fortune. The paychecks may not have been what they are today but, says Petty, they were still pretty good. “We won more races. We won more money,” he says. “We were doing more with cars than anyone else at that particular time.” As for the drivers themselves, were they better back then? While not passing judgment, Petty extends his admiration for today’s drivers, a sentiment echoed by Fernandez. “They were as skilled then as they are now,” says the Dodge Motorsports official. “The difference is that there are so many good to great drivers out there competing today — more than 40 on a Nextel Cup track every single race.” With so much talent in the mix, what makes today’s teams rise to the top is teamwork. “Richard Petty would win by entire laps,” says Fernandez. “But today a few seconds will cover much of the field. With just a 14-second pit stop, you’ll lose too much position. And in the garage there’s less room for error. The team really has to produce a car that’s ready to race when it’s loaded in the hauler. With Charger, teamwork from start to finish is more critical today than ever.” ■ Dodge Motorsports’ Bill Hamilton contributed to this report. 16 www.uawdcx.com
AN AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE HERITAGE Experience a proud legacy at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum Chrysler’s heritage of innovation and engineering excellence is so remarkable that an entire museum is devoted to it. In fact, the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Mich., is the only fullfledged museum maintained by an active North American automaker. For starters, step into “Boss Chrysler’s Garage” to get a close-up look at record-setting racing vehicles and dream machines like these: The 2001 Dodge Intrepid used as a test car for Daimler- Chrysler’s return to the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit Al Ekstrand’s 1966 “Lawman,” the company’s first Hemi-powered Dodge Charger The Dodge Stratus racecar that won the championship in the North American Touring Car Series The 2000 Dodge Viper that won the 24 Hour of Daytona in the American Lemans Series Make it to the museum before August 20, 2006, to see Hot Rods and Cool Mods, a special exhibition featuring more than two dozen exquisitely crafted, exotic vehicles that showcase the past, present and future of customization. The collection of hot rods, rat rods, resto-rods, tuners and “blinged” vehicles salutes the Chrysler designs that have inspired personalization and also pays tribute to the creativity of Mopar enthusiasts and the many imaginative ways they’ve changed their vehicles over the years. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is a showcase for automotive legends. The Hot Rods and Cool Mods exhibit, pictured here, spotlights customization. For more information about the three-story, 55,000- square foot museum — including location, hours and admission — go to www.chryslerheritage.com. TOMORROW SPECIAL RACING 2006 17
- Page 1 and 2: 2006 SPECIAL RACING ISSUE LOOKING A
- Page 3 and 4: LOOKING AHEAD AT THE UAW-DAIMLERCHR
- Page 5 and 6: DODGE TAKES TWO Dodge roared into t
- Page 7 and 8: Fans attending the UAW-DC 400 at LV
- Page 9 and 10: WHAT CAN YOU HEMI? At the Chrysler
- Page 11 and 12: RACING FOR THE FUTURE Toledo’s Ju
- Page 13 and 14: &NOW Past and present: Richard Pett
- Page 15: “Now, the muscle Charger is comin
- Page 19 and 20: Driven to Succeed What Mayfield and
- Page 21 and 22: JEREMY MAYFIELD PHOTO TO COME Don
- Page 23 and 24: RISING RACING STARS GETTY IMAGES Ev
- Page 25 and 26: Evernham drivers get unconditional
- Page 27 and 28: PRIDE ON DISPLAY American automakin
AN<br />
AMERICAN<br />
AUTOMOTIVE<br />
HERITAGE<br />
Experience a proud legacy<br />
at the Walter P. <strong>Chrysler</strong> Museum<br />
<strong>Chrysler</strong>’s heritage of innovation and engineering<br />
excellence is so remarkable that an entire museum<br />
is devoted to it. In fact, the Walter P. <strong>Chrysler</strong><br />
Museum in Auburn Hills, Mich., is the only fullfledged<br />
museum maintained by an active North<br />
American automaker.<br />
For starters, step into “Boss <strong>Chrysler</strong>’s Garage” to get a<br />
close-up look at record-setting racing vehicles and dream<br />
machines like these:<br />
The 2001 Dodge Intrepid used as a test car for Daimler-<br />
<strong>Chrysler</strong>’s return to the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit<br />
Al Ekstrand’s 1966 “Lawman,” the <strong>com</strong>pany’s first<br />
Hemi-powered Dodge Charger<br />
The Dodge Stratus racecar that won the championship<br />
in the North American Touring Car Series<br />
The 2000 Dodge Viper that won the 24 Hour of<br />
Daytona in the American Lemans Series<br />
Make it to the museum before August 20, <strong>2006</strong>, to see<br />
Hot Rods and Cool Mods, a special exhibition featuring<br />
more than two dozen exquisitely crafted, exotic vehicles<br />
that showcase the past, present and future of customization.<br />
The collection of hot rods, rat rods, resto-rods,<br />
tuners and “blinged” vehicles salutes the <strong>Chrysler</strong> designs<br />
that have inspired personalization and also pays tribute to<br />
the creativity of Mopar enthusiasts and the many imaginative<br />
ways they’ve changed their vehicles over the years.<br />
The Walter P. <strong>Chrysler</strong> Museum is a showcase for<br />
automotive legends. The Hot Rods and Cool Mods<br />
exhibit, pictured here, spotlights customization.<br />
For more information about the three-story, 55,000-<br />
square foot museum — including location, hours and<br />
admission — go to www.chryslerheritage.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
TOMORROW SPECIAL RACING <strong>2006</strong> 17
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